I’m back in Melbourne today - I guess some of you are still at the conference. I’m remembering it fondly and trying to hold on to the inspiration. here is the workshop outline as promised - feel free to edit /add details

Jo

The Vine Workshop at the Drama Australia Conference.
Performance Making on Turning the Tides
and Blogging it!

1. Warm up activity.
Groups and Numbers game - form groups of the number called out and then use all the bods in group to very quickly create group sculptures with titles inspired by the theme- eg: seagull, lighthouse, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Manly Ferry…
The last group sent off for blogging and encouraged to blog something just from the warm up- perhaps their first impressions, their apprehensions or their expectations etc.

2. Into the Sea of Discovery

Ship Shape
Silent Negotiation.
Each group is separated and is given a space to work in. They are not to talk but must construct a boat or ship using only their bodies. One person enters their performance space and adopts a pose. Someone else adds to this stage picture either by physically entering (they all have to be in it eventually) or adding to or changing the image already there. They may adjust the shape of the person in the group. At the end they also silently negotiate for each to remove oneself momentarily to view the ship thye have created.

One group shows their ‘ship’ to the other group. They make comment on what they see. The qualities, shapes, mood, the kind of ship they are seeing and from what time – eg: is it a ship that carries people for a particular purpose- if so what? Is it a ship involved in some enterprise – if so what/ when /why? etc. Do the same for the other group.

Groups then go back to think about the feedback given and work on refining their ship to make it better represent their group’s intention. They give their ship sculpture a title and show each other again. Some brief comment is invited on the new sculpture.

At the end of 20 minutes the bloggers return and the ships are dissembled and one ship group is sent off to blog their experience doing silent negotiation entitled ‘Into the Sea of Discovery’.

3. Against the Tide.

We explain to the group that has returned that there is a ship and tell them some of the things we know about it.

Together we brainstorm some of the challenges and threats that the ship, its crew and passengers might face. These are listed.

Overheard Conversations
Groups and numbers is played again but this time groups are asked to form still images of the challenge called out – eg: storm at sea, mutiny, boredom.…

These groups are brought to life to reveal ‘overheard conversations’.

New pairs or small groups are asked to decide on one scene and prepare a ‘snippet of overheard conversation’. Groups perform this with attention to giving and taking focus (this is modelled).

Voices in the Fog
Student are asked to consider the character from the scene they just did and to develop this character a little more in movement by walking around the space. What is this character thinking, feeling about the voyage, what is the nature of their relationship to other characters etc. Characters take a position in the space and are asked to create a vocal collage by randomly speaking a line of their thoughts – giving and taking focus is again important.
Music is played quietly under this. (We used ‘The Sinking of the Titanic’)

This is performed again considering placement of characters on the space, movement etc. (A sway like the movement of a ship was chosen)

The bloggers return and the fog is lifted and the final group is sent off to blog their experience of ‘Against the Tide.’

4. Turning the Tide.

The challenges facing the ship are reviewed. The group is broken into three smaller even groups.
Each group is to develop a short scene of the ship in one of three phases:

Departure (in the style of a documentary)
Voyage (using movement and sound)
End of journey (surreal/dream-like)

The scenes are presented. A discussion regarding how varying the order may change the meaning.

At the end of 20 minutes the bloggers return.

5. Safe Harbour.

All 3 groups together now.
The Wave is explored as a convention for transition between scenes. In a line shoulder to shoulder, moving as one from one wall to another.

In order for each group to appreciate what everyone else has done the final performance is a re-enactment of each scene.

Teacher-as-director may vary the order.

What does this play mean? How does varying the order change the meaning for you? Short discussion on playbuilding using drama strategies and conventions and a theme – the VINE.
That’s your homework… to blog your interpretation of the performance.

Then the observers told us what they saw - “ice breaker” “narrow” “determined”" a job to do and we’re going to do it”.

The ice breaker comment stood out and we set about  re framing our ship to become the ultimate ice breaker that we christened “The Antartic”

We then silently created an image of a ship of some sort. the idea was a collaborative effort. each group presented the image and the other group provided feedback which was useful in aiding us to develop our ideas further.